Orientation Matrix Help?

[Justin K]

Hello all, I am trying to get a firm grasp of orientation matrixes: special thanks

1) to tokeru,

2) this site

3) and this page here https://www.sidefx.com/forum/topic/6679/ for helping me get a  grasp of how the copy sop works with N, Up, and Orient.

Im getting it slowly, but now Ive hit well, a road block lol.  I have attached an example file.  Basically here is what I have:

I have a curve , and am attaching other  lines to this curve using a copy sop.  These curves have a stamped random noise, a stamped random scale,

and most importantly, an orientation attribute that forces them to wrap around the line at the angle I specify.  . 

Thing is  I want to do to 2 more things to these lines.  I want to be able to control their angle or orientation away from the curve, and I also want to be able to skin geometry along the lines as well, having the geometry skinning hold up if I do any rotations. 

Here is where it stands now (just head to attached if that makes it easier).   The following code is where I get my initial @orient info for the copy stamp.   I am using the transform within the copy sop to 'tweak things' (mostly likely the source of the problem).  

 

Wrangle 1:

@rotter = float(@ptnum)/float(@numpt);   //the incrementally increasing angle I will use within my quaternion.   In the following vop sop I fit this value between 0 and 360-- then promote the attribute.  

Wrangle 2 (after vop sop)

@angle = radians(@rotter);
vector axis = @N;       //this defines the main path (y axis?) of my line.  I tried  both @N --generated using polyframe tangent u, and just an arbitrary up vector (0,1,0)--both had issues
matrix3 m = ident();
 
rotate(m, @angle, axis);    //rotating around my specified vector
 
@orient = quaternion(m);   //promotion to usable attribute

 

It works great! Sort of. The way this is set up I have limited control over additional rotation, and cant control the axis during skinning. 

If I set the vector axis to the normal, then with no rotation within the copy sop, the skinning works at first.  When I rotate it though, the tubes start to flatten (see attached).  

 

Conversely, if I just use an Up vector (0,1,0), the skinning only works when there is not transform, and now the tubes point straight up!  Not what I want at all. 

Ill point out that this transformation in Z within the copy sop is actually perfect for this secondary rotation control, of only the skinning would follow suit.  

 

Okay!  My thoughts for a solution. I tried to build a new Up and N vector within the loop itself, but this did not seem to help.  Not sure if this is a precedence thing or what---after all the rules of the copy sop might not apply to skinning.  I then tried to generate a new orient attribute but this didnt work either.  I have a hunch that WAY back in time, my original orientation wrangle MIGHT need a bit more info.  

Any pointers would be great!   

Thank you

 

 

 

 

 

water_flower_v005_upl.hipnc

[galagast]

Hi, I checked out your scene and updated it.

Quote

I want to be able to control their angle or orientation away from the curve

I added two angle values for yaw and pitch, which were then used in a rotate() function sequentially.

Quote

I also want to be able to skin geometry along the lines as well, having the geometry skinning hold up if I do any rotations. 

You still had the @orient attribute passing through the Sweep SOP. Simply delete that and let the sweep use the PolyFrame's tangentu as N.

H16.5.268 Indie - water_flower_v005_upl_jeff.rar

I hope this helps!

[Justin K]

6 hours ago, galagast said:

Hi, I checked out your scene and updated it.

I added two angle values for yaw and pitch, which were then used in a rotate() function sequentially.

You still had the @orient attribute passing through the Sweep SOP. Simply delete that and let the sweep use the PolyFrame's tangentu as N.

H16.5.268 Indie - water_flower_v005_upl_jeff.rar

I hope this helps!

thanks galagast.  That was incredibly intuitive and helpful (thanks for the notes within the file as well).